Automatic fender.



G. HIPWGOD.

AUTOMATIC FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.Z.1 0.

Lm @tamed 1360.2@1911 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

/ITTURNEYS G. HIPWOUD. AUTOMATIC FENDER. APPLICATION FILED MAR.2,1910.

MGM-9632K Patented M126, 191i.

n* A, BLTz.v E ssHEUTs SH ,waa/Veys Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

s'sHBETsrsHEBT s.

lli/i/E/UTOR WIr/M8858.-

ATTORNEYS w W 0 Q UNlTED STATE GEORGE HIPWOOD, `OF NEW YORK, N. j,

AUTOMATIC FENDER.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed nec. ee, 191i.

Application tiled March It, 1910. Serial No. 546,805.

To att 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE Hirwoon, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, 'borough of Man- ,|l1attan, in the county and State ofl New York, have invented a new and Improved :Automatic Fender, of which the following 'is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a fender to be used on cars or any: other suitable vehicles, and vis pf that type in which a drop fender is adaptedto be lowered by the engagement of an obstruction with a trip gate.

An object of this invention is to ,provide a device which will be extremely simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, strong, durable, and positive and -quick in its operation. i

Another object ofthis invention is to provide a drop fender with a trip gate for releasingthe same, said trip gate having. a limited vertical movement whereby unevenness in the ground or in the rocking motion of the car may be allowed for.

A further object of this invention is to provide a drop fender with means for adjusting the height thereof above the ground.

A st-ill further and important object of this invention is to provide 'a drop fender with means for dropping the same, with a connection between the two adapted to adjust itself to the relative motion of the truck and body of the car, as in swinging around corners.

A still further and important object of this invention is to provide a drop fender with means for dropping `the. same, and

with further means for rendering the dropping means inoperative, for the purpose of passing over obstructions, bridges, or the like.' y

These and further objects, together with the construction and combination of parts,

will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which 'similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- '.l w

Figurel: is a perspective view, showing my fender attached to -a car, and in its normal, raisedposition, set ready to be tripped; Fig.- 2f-is a -detail view. in side elevation,

showing the fender in its normal position, ready to be tripped by the impact of an obstacle against the trip gate, the dotted position showing the amount of limited swing allowed in this particular adjustmentof the device; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing'the fender in its dropped position, with the gatein the act of tripping the latch mechanism; Fig. 4 is a View in elevation, partly in section, of the parts illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, taken from the opposite side, and showing the relative position of the parts in their abnormal position, in which' the gate is free to swing Without 4tripping the fender, and in which the gate is abnormally raised and positively locked in its raised position; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view, showing the relative position of the. drop fender on the truck, and the mechanism on the car body rounding a curve, and illustrating the action of the means for permitting the relative movement o the parts without disarranging the same; Fig. 6 is a. detail view in elevation of the sector-wheel; Fig. 7 is a view of the same partillust-rated in Fig. G, taken at rightangles thereto; Fig. 8 is a perspective View of t-he tripper connected to the tripping gate; Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the adjustable supporting bracket for the drop fender; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the stationary 4bracket to which theedjustable bracket illustrated in F ig. 9 is attached; Fig. ll is a pla-n View, partly in section, of the mechanism for prevent-ing the "plunger from being accidentally1 drawn down to its abnormal position: and Fig. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of the sector and mechanism connected thereto for releasing the trip, looking from the under side.

Referring more particularly to the separate parts of the device, l indicates the body ot a car or other vehicle, which is supported in any suitable manner, by means of one or more trucks 2. Secured to the outer end of the truck 2, there is provided a pair ot' stationary brackets 3, clearly illustrated in Fig. 10. The faces of" the outwardly-extendingflanges of these brackets 3 are provided with corrugations 4, which are adapted to engage similar corrugations 5 on adjustable brackets 6. .'The adjustable brackets 6 are provided with a pluralityof apertures 7, through which are may be adjustably connected at any height to the brackets 3.

Pivotally secured to the outwardly-extending arms of the brackets 6', there is provided a fender 10, which may he of any suitthebody 1 of the car.

able structure, but preferably consists ot' a central angular member 11 and 'side angular members 12, connccted'by transverse bars 13 arranged at suitable spaced intervals, thus forming a complete, strong and durable frame for a network 14, composed prefers ,lxly of angularly-arranged wires 15, which may be secured together in any well known manner, but preferably by welding.

The fender l is normally urged downwardly by means of springs 16, secured at ltheir outer ends to the sides ofthe fender, and coiled intermediate their ends around the pivot'points of the fender, and also secured at their innerends to the outwardly- 'extending arms of the brackets 6.

In order to hold the fender up in its non picking-up position, the member 11 is eX- tended a certain distance to form an arm 17, which is provided with a plurality of openings 18, whereby aiexible connection 19, which may be of any suitable character, such as a chain, may be adjustably attached. The liexible connection 19 passes over a suit-able guide pulley 20, which may be pivotally connected in any well known manner to the truck 2. The flexible connection 19 extends forwardly, where it is attached in any suitablemanner to a groot-'ed sector wheel 21, which is pivotally'supported in any well known manner, by means of brackets 22, on the under side of the '-car body. An imy'portant feature of the flexible connection 19 is that it is provided intrrmediate its ends with a resilient or yielding member 23, which is in the form ot' a coil spring, and which is adapted to take up the relative motion of the fender 1() on the truc? f and the sector wheel 21 and the mechanism connected thereto on This is especially necessary in rounding curves, when the body tends to travel in a straight line while the trucks closely follow the curvature of the tracks. .It is to be noted that the spring l 23 is connected by means of S-hooks 24 to the two portions ofthe flexible connection 19, so that the length of said flexible connection may be adjusted as desired.

In order to raise the 'fender 10 into its normal position, as mdr-etsii in Figs'. 1 and 2, there is provided s. plunger 25, which is pivotally connected at its louer end to a lug C en the sector 21, and extends upwardly througA slot 2T in the body of the car and in a reinforcing plate 28,-whcre it terminates above the iioor 'of the car in a tread-head 29. By this arrangement, if the motorm'an places his 'weight on the tread-head 29, he can depress the plunger 25 from the position indicated in Fig. 3 to the position indicated in Fig. 2, thereby raising the fender from its dropped position to its normal, raised position. In order to lock the fender in its normally raised position, there is provided a cam-shaped lug 30, which is secured to 'the sector 2l in any -wcll known manner, preferably by being cast integral therewith, and which is adapted to engage a latch 31, which is pivotall-y secured in any well known manner on one of the brackets 22. T he'latch -31 has secured at its lower end, a spring 32, which is connected at its other end to a lug 33 on one of the brackets 22, whereby the latch 31 is normally urged into intimate engagement with the locking lug 30. In order to release the latch 31 and thereby permit the fender 10 to fall into its picking-up position, there is provided a trip 34, which is pivotally secured in any Well known manner to the latch- 31 and extends outwardly, where it is provided with a hook 35, which is adapted to fall between convergingguiding anges 36 on a tripper 37, and engage a transverse bar 38. The trip 34 is provided with a weight 39 at its Vouter end, whereby it is normally held in engagement with the tripper 37. The tripper 37 -isfadjustably secured in any well known manner, as by means of a set-screw 40, to a transverse bar 41, which is pivotally secured in any well known manner to the body' of the car, as by means of brackets 42.

'Rigidly secured to the transverse bar 41 so as to rotate therewith, there is provided a pair of hangers 43, arranged at each4 end thereof.- These hangers are provided with vertical slots 44, which are adapted to be engaged by angular followers Aon'a gate 46. This permits acertain vertical move# ment of the gate 46 relative to its supporting hangers 43, so that it will pass over certain low obstructions, and will yield to a limited amount of jabbing into the without actuating the releasing mec anism for the tender. rl`he fender 46 preferably consists of vertical members 47 and 48, on which are provided the angular followers 45, and which are connected by one or more transverse slats 49 of any suitable-material.

ound

ltl

v We now come to an important feature of engaged by the jarring of the car.

notched boss 51 on the plate- 28, adjacent the front end of the slot 27, to retain the fender in its raised position. It is to bc noted that the parts are so arranged that '".when the plunger 25 is depressed into its abnormal position, the angle at which the plunger extends is such as to bring lthe thrust due to the Weight of the fender almost directly in alinement with the plunger 2 5, and a lock 50 thereon, thereby positively preventing the plunger from being dis- However, the depression of the plunger 25 to its abnormal position does more than merely raise the fender 10. It disconnects the trip 34 from the tripper 37 r For this purpose, there is provided on theI sector Wheel 2l a lug or pin 52, which isadapted to engage during its abnormal vdepresslon one arm 53 of a bell crank lever 54, which is pivotally connected in any well known manner to an extension 55 on the bracket 22. The other arm 56 of the bell crank lever 54 is provided with a pin 57 Whichengages with a slot 58 4on the trip 34. By this means, when the lug 52 moves downwardly, due tothe extra depression. of the plunger 25, it comes into engagement with the arm 53 of the bell crank -lever 54, raising the opposite end which,

through its slot-and-pin connection, raises -the trip 34 out of engagement with the ltripper 37. .`When this has taken place, the gate 46 can swing to and fro without disturbing the fender 10 or its releasing mechanism. The lug 52 is small enough and does not project beyond the outer' surface of the side of the sector Wheel 21, and therefore can readily pass bet-Ween the brackets 22.. However, in order to prevent the sector wheel 21 from going back to'o far under the weight of the fender 10, and thereby carrying the pivotal point of the plunger 25 beyond the dead point, there is provided a lug 59,Which projects a suiiicient distance to engage with the side of the bracket 22.

While a motorman or driver who has operated this devicea feilitimes will readilyT gage the amount necessary to depress tir plunger 25 to raise the' fender from its dropped position to its normal position, it may be possible that a green motorman would depress the fender abnormally and raise it to its abnormal .position indicated in Fig. 4. To avoid this, 1 provide a stop GU, .which 1s pivotally connected in any well known manner to the plat-form of the car adjacent the slot 27. The stop is adapted to project at one end over the slot 27 ben. ath the head 29, where it is of sufficient th. tness to prevent the head moving beyond the distance necessary to raise the fender llOto its normal position. The stop GOcan be readily thrown from the full-line osition illustrated in Fi 11 to the dotte -line position, where it is rawn away from the slot 27, so

that when necessary, the plunger 25 can be depressed to its abnormal position. In order to lock the stop 60 in either of its fullline or dotted.-line positions indicated in Fig. 1l, there is provided an elliptical spring 61, which is secured in a casing 62 connected to the car body in any well known manner, and which is adapted to engage in notches 63 and 64 arranged on either side of an enlargement 65.

, The operation of the device will be readily unde1'stood \vhen taken in connection with the above-description. In the normal operation of the car or other vehicle, the fender at the front end is set in its normal, raised position, as indicated in F ig. 2 with the trip 34 engaging the tripper 37, so that the gate 46 will be in a position ready to release the fender l0. The fender at the rear of the car or vehicle however, is preferably set in its abnormal, raised position, asfixidicated in Fig. 4, so that the gate 46 will 1 .the gate on the forward fender is free to slide up and down to a limited extent, so that it will readily ride over a small obstruction, such as a small boulder, and v'will also give inra vertical direction, when the rocking or .dipping motion of the car causes the gate tol'strike4 the ground. The gate 46 also has a`,:li1nited free swinging motion, allowing for small obstacles and bumps, which may be adjusted by adjusting the position of the tripper 37 on the transverse bar 41. When the gate 46 strikes against a large obstacle, such as the body of a person on the ground, it is swung positively rearwardly into the position indicated in Fig..3, thereby drawing the trip 34 forwardly, releasing the latch 31 from engagement with the locking lug 30, thereby permitting the fender 10 to where there is excessive dipping or )rocking ot the car` due to the unevenness in the roads and also in going around sharp curves oitraveling over bridges, it is necessary to throw the tripping mechanism out of' operation. This is done by merely des pressing the plunger 25 to its abnormal position, illustra-ted in`Fig. 4, until the unevenness in the ground, 'or other cause, has been removed, when the motorman can,by deyielding connection between the fender l0 and the tripping mechanism provided by the spring Q3 permits the relative motion -of the truck and car body and the fender and tripping mechanism connected respectively thereto, as illustrated in Fig. 5, With- .out causing any derangement of the parts or the tripping of the fender.

lVhile I have shown one embodiment ot' my invention, I do notI Wish to be limited to the specific details thereof, but desire to be protected in various changes, modifications and alterations which I may make Within the scope of the appended claims.h

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a drop fender, of locking means for holding said fender in its raised position, a gate for tripping said locking means, so' as to drop said fender, and ,additional locking means adapted to lock said fender in its raised position, independent of the operation of said gate.

2. In a device of the class described, the .combination with a car, of a drop fender, a tripping mechanism for said fender, and means extending- Within the car for simultaneously raising said fender abnormally and rendering said tripping mechanism inoperative. I

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a drop fender, of a trip for said drop fender, a gate adapted to operate said trip, and means for moving said trip out of operative connection with said gate While said fender is' still in its raised position. 1

.4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a drop fender, ot` a. trip for said drop fender, a gate for operating said trip, means for removing said t-rip out of coperation with said gate while said fender is still in its raised position, and

-means for locking said trip out of. coperatin with said gate.

5. In a device ot' the class described, the' combination 'with a drop fender, of an arcuate member, `a fiexible connection connecting said member with said fender, means for operating said member, means for locking said member, a trip for said locking means, a gate for operating said trip, and means operated by said member for removing said trip from cooperation with said gate.

- 6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a drop fender, of an arcuate member, a connection between said member and said fender, a latch for securing said member in position, a t-rip.for releasing said latch, a lever, having a piii-and-slot conne tion with said trip, and means on said men ber for operating said lever.

7. In a device of the class described, tl combination with a drop ender,-oi:l an ai 4cuate member connected to said drop fendt and adapted to operate t-he same, a latch ft locking said member, a tri for releasin said latch, a lever having a pin-and-slot co1 nection with said trip, a vlug on said membe adapted to operate said lever, Jeans for op erating said member, and a gate for actuat ing said trip.

8. In a device of the class described, th combination with a drop fender adapted t assume a normal raised position, a droppel position and an abnormal raised position, o a plunger for raising said fender beyond l normal raised position, and an adjustabl stop for preventing said plunger from rais ing said fender beyond its normal raised po sition..

9. In a device of the class described, th combination With a earv body, of a truck fo: said car body, m'ovable relative thereto, z drop fender oli-said truck, a resilient con nection for maintaining said drop fender i1 its4 raised position, connected 'to said cai body, whereby a relative movement between: said fender and said car body isallowed for and means on said car body for slacke'ning up onA said resilient connection, Whereby`saic fender is lowered to its depressed position.

.10. The combination Witha car bodyfof a truck for said car body, movable relative thereto. a fender pivotally connected to said car body, means adapted to normally urge said fender toward its depressed position, a resilient connection between said fender and said car body, adapted to maintain said fender in its raised position, whereby a relative movement between said fender and said car body is permitted, and .means for slackcning up on said resilient connection, whereby said fender is permitted to drop to its depressed position.

11. The combination With a car body, of a truck for supporting said car body, movable relative thereto, a fender pivotally connected to said truck, a iexible resilient Connection adapted to maintain said fender in its normal raised position, a member pivotally connected to said car body -andsecured to said flexible connection, mea-ns for locking said member so as to maintain said flexible connection under tension, and means lfor releasing said looking means.-

12. The combination with a car, of a vtender pivotally connected to said car and adapted to assume adepressed position, anormal raised position, and an abnormal raised position, means for maintaining said tender in its depressed position, means'for locking said fender in its normal raised po sition, means for locking said fender in its alinoi'n'iai i'aisedrposition and a gate disposed in front of said fender' for tripping fendei. l

rthe vomhinai'ion with :il cai', of a fen dei: pivotally con ted to said oai' and adapted to assume. a fgiepi'essed position, a normal iaismi position, and an abnormal raised position, means for maintaining said fender in itsdeim. .fd position, means for looking said imidei' in its nornal raised position, means for looking said fender in its abnormal raised position, means for shifting said tender to its vai-ions positionsand a gate disposal. in front of said fender for tripping said fender. i

14. The combination with a cai' body, of a trut-.k for said ear body, a fender secured to said tinek, a trip gate seem-ed to'isaid ear body, looking mechanism for holding said i fender in its raised position, seouiedto said cnr body and adapted to he operated by said gate but normally disconnected therefrom,

and a. ii'ieldin'g connection between said looking mechanism and said fender, adapted to permit the relative movement of saidgate 25 and said fender while still maintaining said 'fender in .its normally raised position.

In a device of the class described, the combination with a drop fender, of 4oeking means for holding said fender in its raised 30 position, a gate for tripping said locking means, so as to drop said fender, and additional. locking means for simultaneously looking said fender in its raised position'and operatively disconnecting said fii'st-men- 35 tioned locking means from said trip gate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HoRATIo VHITING, PHiLn D. ROLLHAUS. 

